1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of radiation therapy and more specifically in the field of positioning a patient relative to a therapeutic beam.
2. Related Art
Mechanical and motor powered systems for transporting patients for radiation therapy are known in the art. These systems are typically configured to transport a patient from a preparatory location to a predetermined treatment location. At the treatment location, a second device may then used to position a patient relative to a treatment beam. Precise and accurate positioning of the patient relative to the treatment beam is important because treatment outcome depends, in part, on overlap between a part of a patient to be exposed to the beneficial effects of the radiation, referred to herein as a treatment volume, and the treatment beam. Patient positioning is typically performed under manual control and, thus, can require significant time and effort. This time and effort may significantly limit the number of patients that can be treated by a treatment system.